Evidence of meeting #46 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was rural.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
You see a possibility for Canada Post to rent out some space within its offices here, and you think there would be some demand for that?
Secretary, Wakamow Aboriginal Community Organization
If it's at a reasonable rate, yes.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Okay, very good.
I have another question for the city regarding the idea of receiving an annual payment from Canada Post for these sites. Is that something that other municipalities have put forward or are asking for to your knowledge?
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
Frankly, we haven't surveyed other communities to determine what their responses are. We're just dealing from our own circumstances, so we believe that this is a matter of fairness and not being downloaded with expenses that weren't properly ours in the first place.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
If Canada Post agreed to provide those annual payments, would the city be happy with that, or would the city's first choice be the restoration of door-to-door delivery?
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
The direction from our city council is that their preference is that door-to-door delivery be maintained. As an administration, our presence here is to portray what our city council has put on record, so that's their preference. If compensation ends up to be the ultimate result, then obviously we want to be involved in any negotiations around that.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Thank you very much.
Madam Ratansi, you have seven minutes, please.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Thank you very much.
As the chair mentioned, we have been travelling coast to coast to coast. This is our last leg, and we're trying to see how Canada Post can be viable. Sometimes we are told it's the last bastion for services. There is this north and south divide. There's the economic divide. There's the rural, remote, urban, suburban, etc. We're trying to bring some cohesion, social and economic cohesion perhaps.
If Canada Post were to be viable as a business, what would you suggest it do? We need creative ideas, and if you have not thought through that one, you could always submit your input to the chair.
Mr. Gulka-Tiechko, how many of your constituents were affected by the shutting of door-to-door delivery?
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
The predominance of our older citizens live in older neighbourhoods. The newer subdivisions, which would have had mailbox delivery from the 1990s to 2000s, are typically younger urban families.
Liberal
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
Our total population of seniors is 31%. We would think at least three-quarters of those would be in the older neighbourhoods, and probably more.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
You stated that you were not consulted when these boxes were put in; you were just given a diagram and told what was going on. If you were to work on a cost-recovery basis—as a municipality the only tax base you have is property taxes, and something else—what would you suggest? How much has it cost you and what sort of a recovery are you looking for, or is it an ongoing cost?
City Clerk and Solicitor, City of Moose Jaw
I sort of addressed that one with Mr. McCauley's question.
These are things that we will have to monitor to really get a better sense of those actual costs as we go forward. It's still a work in progress.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Okay, fair enough.
Mr. Watson, you're a very successful businessman, and you like competition, or you think competition is very good. Would you like Canada Post to have competition in door-to-door mail delivery?
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
As a businessman, would you help your competitor open up a store next to you to compete with you?
President, Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
We don't want to, but we do. It's the nature of our business.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Okay. The reason I ask you this question is that sometimes Canada Post takes on initiatives and franchises, and it creates competition against itself. That business model doesn't seem to be very creative or out-of-the-box thinking unless you're trying to dismantle yourself. If you're trying to dismantle your own business, maybe you go and give money to the competition. That's my thought process.
As for some of the initiatives that the corporation has taken, they have not been very thoughtful. Moving forward, what sort of other areas could it compete in that would help? You said postal banking is out—
President, Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
Courier service is where they should be.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Courier service? They own 92% of Purolator. Does it not work here?
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
I guess it is the remoteness. We've been travelling, and we've found how difficult it is to get from one place to another.
Ms. Perkins, do your constituents live in remote areas, or are they within an area that they can get services from the government, from the banking sector?
Vice-Chair, Wakamow Aboriginal Community Organization
No, most of our members live in Moose Jaw.